Lecture 15 Tropical Agricultural Research

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Lecture 15Tropical Agricultural Research
Agricultural development is a key component for
the improvement of living standards and economic
growth in the tropical world. However, it has
been considered more difficult to improve
agriculture than to establish a modern steel
industry (because to improve agriculture the
whole fabric of society must be changed). In the
l960s and l970s achievements in the transfer and
diffusion of agricultural technology to the
tropical world has been coined the green
revolution. The basis was the development of
high yielding wheat and rice.
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Norman E. Borlaug, 1970 recipient of theNobel
Prize for Peace, working with hybridwheats at
the CIMMYT Toluca station, Mexico.
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These improved grains were short stemmed,
photoperiodically insensitive, and both
fertilizer requiring and responsive. The green
revolution has an enormous impact in preventing
famine and increasing food production in tropical
countries that were beset with exploding
populations. The greatest results were achieved
in India, Pakistan, and Mexico, once food deficit
countries, but presently producing modest
surpluses in feed grains. Food production has
also increased in China but this was largely due
to their own efforts in agricultural research
(e.g. hybrid rice).
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At the present time only Africa still remains a
serious problem. The model for this change has
been the development of international
agricultural research centers that are focused on
individual crops. The greatest results have come
from CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Center) in Mexico emphasizing
research in maize, wheat, and sorghum and IRRI
(International Rice Research Institute) located
in the Philippines and dealing almost exclusively
with rice.
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The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI),
established at the University of the
Philippines,Los Banos, Laguna.
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Both of these organizations were originally
supported by Foundations such as the Ford and
Rockefeller plus government support principally
of the United States but are now financed by
broader participation. Originally the basic work
was in genetic improvement concentrating on
increasing yields through response to fertilizer
and disease resistance with broad adaptability
achieved by photoperiod insensitivity. In
addition the improved wheat and rice were short
stemmed so that they did not fall over (lodge)
and were thus responsive to increased
fertilization.
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Lodging susceptible and resistant rice
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However, the green revolution was not a simple
substitution of improved new cultivars but rather
the imposition of a new technological system that
involved increased inputs such as fertilization
and pesticides, and improved management. This
required increased credit and education and put
subsistence farmers further behind.
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Present Structure of the InternationalAgricultura
l Research Network
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